


Derek's Epic Love Story

by arrowofcarnations



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, M/M, dad!stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-21
Updated: 2013-10-25
Packaged: 2017-12-30 01:19:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1012309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arrowofcarnations/pseuds/arrowofcarnations
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek Hale is good at getting what he wants. Unfortunately, what he wants now is Stiles Stilinski, who doesn't exactly seem to be in the mood for his shit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Derek first sees him on a Friday afternoon. He doesn’t normally venture down to marketing but apparently some of his mail had been delivered to Derren Hall and he needed to pick it up. The man is sitting in one of the larger cubicles, feet propped on the desk and chattering away into his cell phone. Derek’s immediately drawn to the way his mouth shapes around his words, how his black-framed glasses sit on the bridge of his nose, and the way his white button-down and gray vest cling to his body. If he were to stand up, Derek is pretty certain he’d be staring at a perfect ass, as well.

Smirking to himself and thinking he could spare a few more minutes before getting back to his own office in the accounting department, he makes a detour to the gorgeous guy’s cubicle and leans against the barrier of it, folding his arms and smiling. The man catches his eye and holds up a finger, signaling him to wait.

“Listen,” he says into the phone, “I’ve got to go – work stuff. Give Melissa a hug for me, alright?”

He hangs up a moment later and stares up at Derek expectantly. His eyes are even more amazing close up and Derek can’t wait to get his hands on those broad shoulders.

“Hi,” he starts, “I’m Derek Hale, from accounting.”

“Stiles Stilinski, marketing,” he replies, pointing to the sign above them that says ‘Marketing’. “Can I help you with something?”

“Well, Stiles, that depends. How do you feel about dinner tonight?”

Stiles gives him a close-lipped smile. “So, let me get something straight here, because I’m slightly confused. This is not a work related question, correct? You are asking me on a date?”

Derek chuckles and throws his hands up mockingly in defeat. “You caught me.”

“I was just wondering because, you know, that was my dad on the phone. He’s in the hospital and I haven’t been able to talk to him for a while and this is my lunch break. But naturally, I was willing to hang up for important work things.”

Derek winces and clears his throat awkwardly. “Oh, I, uh… apparently some of my mail was delivered to Derren Hall and I was just wondering if you could direct me to his office?”

Stiles raises his eyebrows at him. Derek knows it’s a bad excuse – Derren Hall is the Chief Marketing Officer of the company and everyone knows who he is and where his office is.

“And the date thing was just an afterthought then?”

“Err, yes,” Derek replies. “So how about it? Dinner at 8?”

“No thanks. And his office is straight down the hallway – which I’m sure you knew. Have a nice day.”

And with that, he turns to his computer and opens up some sort of Excel document, effectively shutting Derek out. Stunned, Derek turns away and goes back to his office. It’s not until two hours later that he realizes he forgot to get his mail.

*

“He totally rejected me, Laura,” he whines into his cell phone later that night. He’s sitting on his couch in his oldest, rattiest sweatpants and nothing else with heaps of delivered Thai food spread out on the coffee table and Netflix droning in the background. “That _never_ happens.”

Laura snorts. “It was bound to happen at some point.”

“But did it have to happen _today_?” he manages to get out through a mouthful of noodles.

“Are you eating right now? Like are you actually talking with your mouth full over the phone?”

He swallows his food before answering, “Well excuse me, Miss Manners, but I was supposed to be on a date tonight so forgive me for drowning myself in takeout.”

“Technically, you weren’t really ‘supposed’ to be on a date tonight,” she points out, very unhelpfully. “He didn’t stand you up, he just said no.”

“Exactly my point!” he yells. “ _Why_ would he say no?”

“Do you even know this guy? Like at all?” she asks.

“His name is Stiles Stilinski, he works in the marketing department, and he looks hot in vests,” Derek rattles off, ticking the items off on his fingers as if Laura could see him.

“So no, you don’t know him. And he doesn’t know you. Maybe he just doesn’t like to date strangers. Maybe he likes to get to know people first. Plus, you did interrupt a phone call with his hospitalized father.”

“Knew I shouldn’t have told you that part,” he grumbles regretfully.

“Probably not,” she quips, and Derek can practically see her evil grin.

“Okay enough of this,” Derek declares. “I don’t need your snark, I need your advice.”

“Yeah, well I need you to stop whining,” she flings back and Derek stays silent in protest for a few moments before she sighs. “What kind of advice?”

“How do I get him to go out with me and then proceed to have probably mind-blowing sex with me?”

“Add that to the list of things I regret hearing my baby brother say. And also, were you not listening? I already told you that he probably likes to get to know people first. So… I don’t know… get some drinks after work or something. Maybe with other people. Try not to be a total freak.”

*

Despite Laura being what is obviously the world’s worst older sister, he decides to take her advice. Although not the thing about not being a freak – he’s already not a freak, he doesn’t need help with the matter. Anyway, he’s taking her advice. He’s even improved on her plan. Because her plan involved inviting other people which is clearly going to interfere with Derek’s plans to leave early (possibly sneak off to the nearest available bathroom stall) and blow Stiles silly. Obviously the better plan is to say that other people are coming so Stiles will come along and then have no one show up. It’s flawless.

So with an excited swagger in his step, he heads down to marketing the next Tuesday (he would’ve gone Monday, but he’s not _desperate_ , okay?) and once again leans against Stiles’ cubicle. He raps his knuckles softly against the makeshift wall to get his attention. He’s not on the phone this time, which is already an improvement on his previous approach.

“Oh, hi,” he says when he sees Derek standing there.

“Hi, Stiles,” Derek greets, smiling. “How’s your father doing?”

Stiles looks kind of surprised, and eyes him a bit suspiciously through his glasses before answering. “He’s fine. Released from the hospital on Sunday.”

“That’s good to hear,” Derek tells him genuinely.

“Do you need directing to Mr. Hall’s office again or is there something else I can help you with?”

Derek ignores what is probably a bit of an insult in Stiles referencing his lame excuse from their previous encounter and soldiers on. “A few coworkers from the accounting department and I are getting drinks at that new bar on the corner after work. Thought I’d invite you along – it’s supposed to be a nice place,” Derek explains, giving a casual shrug.

“I can’t,” Stiles tells him, not unkindly, but still blunt. “Thank you, though. For inviting me.”

“Sure, no problem,” Derek dismisses, flashing him a half-hearted smile before walking away.

He ends up going to the bar alone but manages to refrain from getting too drunk.

*

Eventually he admits to himself that his plans need some improving. It’s an unusual situation for him to be in – he’s never had trouble convincing people to go out with him before. Even if he scored a date with someone definitely not interested in a second, he pretty much always got the first one. He doesn’t like having to admit he’s wrong. Not to himself, not to anyone.

Unfortunately, he is going to need some assistance from other people. Namely Erica Reyes, a coworker and friend who laughs at him for about ten minutes when he approaches her desk and says he needs her to ask Stiles out for group drinks for him. He’s rethinking the part where he’s friends with her.

“Why can’t you ask him yourself?” she asks once she’s stopped laughing.

“I already did. Last week. He said no. And before that, he said no to dinner.”

Erica raises her eyebrows in what may be mocking surprise. “Somewhere out there exists a person immune to your charms? Say it ain’t so!”

He scowls fiercely at her. “It’s not funny. I just need a _bit_ of assistance in convincing him to go out.”

“Alright,” she sighs in defeat. “You are in clear need of help and my soul is too kind to deny you.” He wisely does not comment on that. “Now, tell me exactly what he said both times you asked him out.”

“When I asked him to dinner he said ‘no thanks’. When I asked him to drinks he said ‘I can’t’, which I’m taking to mean that he didn’t want to and also probably hates me.”

“God, since when are you such a baby?” she complains but leaves no room for response before going on, “Fine. I’ll orchestrate this somehow – your plan needs serious work, by the way. I mean, did you really think he would say yes if I just happened to go down to marketing and randomly ask him out for drinks with a bunch of other people he doesn’t know? You know, considering that he also doesn’t know me? Luckily for you, I happen to be on friendly terms with one Danny Mahealani – a graphic designer who knows everyone in that department. I’ll get him to ask your little crush about going out tonight.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Erica.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re paying for my drinks. And invite Isaac and Boyd!” she calls after him as he heads back to his office.

*

Apparently, according to what Erica finds out that afternoon, Danny is actually really good friends with Stiles, so it wasn’t too difficult to get Danny to invite them out. A pretty fortunate development, really. The unfortunate part is that when he arrives with Erica, Isaac, and Boyd, Danny shakes his hand and gives him what is certainly the most suggestive wink ever. Derek learns from Erica later that she had told Danny the _whole_ story, so he knows all about his little crush on Stiles. He spends most of the night trying to avoid eye contact with Danny.

It’s a nice night, though. Stiles is friendly – an impression Derek didn’t really get from their first encounter (although some of the blame for that probably lies with Derek). His laugh manages to keep Derek pretty well distracted the whole evening.

“You two play lacrosse together?” Boyd asks Danny and Stiles at some point and Derek realizes he must have zoned out whilst staring at Stiles and quickly shakes himself into focus.

“Yeah,” Stiles answers. “It’s just a rec team with some buddies of ours. Keeps me from getting too soft, though.”

“Not big on going to the gym?” Erica teases.

Stiles laughs. “If only I had the time. I stopped paying for the membership when I finally admitted to myself that I was only going like, twice a month. I try to go running sometimes on my lunch break, though. Mostly because if I don’t, I’ll get my ass kicked at our Saturday games,” he adds on, elbowing Danny in the ribs playfully.

“And by running, he means that he jogs for about twenty minutes before getting pizza,” Danny jokes and laughs at Stiles’ affronted face.

“Not cool, bro,” Stiles tells him, no real offense in his voice. “I’ll get the next round,” he offers before getting up and Derek takes the opportunity to follow him a moment later.

“Thought you might need some help carrying,” he explains when Stiles gives him a questioning look.

“Thanks,” he replies and then finally gets the bartenders attention, ordering a round of some microbrew Derek’s not familiar with. “It’s good, trust me,” he says when he catches the look on Derek’s face.

Derek smirks. “If you say so. I’m no good with keeping track of all the different kinds of beer that are popular these days. I don’t drink very often and when I do, I keep it pretty basic. Red wine or whiskey… or whatever some guy from the marketing department’s buying me.”

Stiles chuckles. “Well, I think you’ll like this one. Besides, everything tastes good if it’s free.”

“I have some hazy memories of a night in college filled with cheap gin that begs to differ,” Derek grimaces, earning a belly laugh out of Stiles.

“Sounds like a pretty epic hangover waiting to happen.”

“It was,” he replies, cringing at the memory. “I had an exam the next day, too. Didn't too well on it, as I recall.”

Stiles winces in sympathy as he pays for the drinks and they each grab a few, heading back to the table. When they get back, they find that Danny has taken Derek’s spot next to Isaac and seems to be chatting him up pretty thoroughly. Derek’s certainly not going to complain, especially when it means he gets to take the seat next to Stiles. Booths are all too convenient for sitting too close to one another.

Unfortunately, it’s barely ten minutes later that Stiles is leaving the table to take a call and coming back to tell everyone that he has to go. Danny gives him an understanding look that leaves Derek with the impression that he knows why Stiles has to go even though he didn't tell them why. Stiles gives them all a wave goodbye before disappearing out the door.

*

Over the next couple weeks, Derek finds a few more excuses to go down to marketing and chat with Stiles. He keeps his visits pretty brief – again, he’s not desperate, but it’s nice to talk for a little while. He thinks about asking Stiles out for lunch sometime but decides not to at the last minute, so it’s certainly a pleasant surprise when he runs into Stiles and what must be his dog at a farmer’s market one Saturday. Even if Laura’s with him.

“Hi, Stiles,” he greets.

“Oh, hey. Fancy seeing you here.”

“Derek, aren’t you going to introduce me?” Laura prompts after a few moments of Derek staring at the way Stiles’ v-neck shirt shows off his collarbones.

“Uh, right. Stiles, this is my sister Laura. Laura, this is Stiles.”

They shake hands and Derek does not like the wicked gleam in Laura’s eyes at all.

“Who’s this cutie?” Laura asks, bending down to scratch the dog’s ears. The dog looks like a husky puppy, with silvery fur and sharp eyes.

“This here is the magnificent Flynn Rider,” Stiles introduces grandly as Flynn wags his tail and licks Laura's hand..

“Like from Tangled?” Laura asks with a laugh.

Stiles chuckles and scratches the back of his neck. “Yeah, I guess that’s what I get for letting a four year old name him. It was better than her other choice, though, which was to name him after all four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Bit of a mouthful.”

“We were just about to grab some lunch at an outdoor café. You and Flynn here are welcome to join us,” Laura suggests, shooting Derek a sly smile.

“Thanks, but I’m just here to pick up some tomatoes. I’m spending the day with some friends and I forgot to grab ‘em for dinner. Have a nice lunch, though.”

“Thanks, it was nice to meet you,” Laura told him, giving Flynn one last ear scratch before pulling Derek away. “Wow, Derek,” she begins once they’re out of earshot, “it’s amazing he wasn’t falling all over you given what a conversationalist you appear to be in his presence.”

“Whatever, can we just go to lunch? Cora texted me that she’s already there.”

They do get lunch. And Laura and Cora spend a lot of time making fun of him for his inability to talk and/or flirt with Stiles.

“What I don’t get, though,” Cora states, sipping from her glass of Pinot Grigio, “is that you’re normally so good at this kind of thing. Usually you don’t have to do more than grunt at people like cavemen before they’re falling in your lap.”

“Stiles is different,” Derek defends, crossing his arms. And Stiles _is_ different. Way different than the type of people Derek normally goes for. Or maybe it’s not even that Stiles is different, but that Derek is different with him. Derek’s not in love with him or anything (just mildly obsessed, okay) but he doesn’t think about him like he does his normal conquests. Maybe in the beginning, but not anymore.

“That’s for sure,” Laura agrees. “You should’ve seen this guy, Cora. Super adorable. Like, pseudo-hipster glasses and red skinny jeans adorable. But you could tell he’s got a snarky side.”

“So probably perfect for Derek?”

Laura nods. “Probably.”

“Can we talk about something else now?” Derek pleads.

“Fine,” Cora relents, taking pity on him. “I _guess_ I could tell you guys that I just got my acceptance letter to graduate school at Berkeley.”

Laura practically screams and for the rest of lunch they celebrate the genius that is Cora Hale. It’s very much preferable to them teasing Derek about his love life.

*

Screw it, Derek thinks one day as he determinedly strides towards Stiles’ cubicle. He’s going to ask that stupid ruffled-hair, mole-sporting man out for lunch and nothing’s going to stop him.

“Hi Derek,” the man in question greets when he sees Derek approaching.

“Get lunch with me?” Derek blurts out, desperately hoping it sounds casual.

Stiles looks a bit startled at his abruptness but recovers quickly, pushing his glasses up on his nose. “Well, I _was_ going to go for a run… but yeah, I could be persuaded to skip it,” he jokes.

“Great,” Derek sighs in relief. “Meet you in the lobby at noon?”

Noon is only an hour away, Derek can definitely wait that long. Probably.

“Sounds good. See you then, Derek.”

Derek walks away thinking about how good his name sounds on Stiles’ lips. In fact, he spends the next hour alternating between thinking of the many other various situations in which Stiles could be saying his name, trying not to freak out about lunch, and pretending to be working on a spreadsheet.

After approximately five years, it’s finally just a few minutes from noon and he heads down to the lobby. Stiles shows up a couple minutes later and Derek leads them to a Mexican place just a block away from their building.

“Mmm, how’d you know I’ve been craving tacos?” Stiles asks after they sit down across from one another at a booth.

“Everybody likes tacos,” Derek points out, feeling a bit smug despite himself.

“So, are you from the San Francisco area originally?” Stiles asks him after they order.

He shakes his head. “No, most of my family’s back east in New York. My sisters and I just all happened to move out here.”

“Laura seemed really nice,” Stiles comments. “Flynn really liked her,” he jokes.

“Flynn seems like he likes everyone. But for the record, she liked you, too. And Flynn.”

“What can I say? Flynn’s a charmer. Only brought him home a couple of months ago but he’s already the darling of the neighborhood. One of the neighbor kids made a pretty daring attempt at kidnapping him, but his plan was inevitably foiled by his parents.”

Derek snorts. “Sounds like a rough neighborhood.”

“Oh yes,” Stiles plays along. “Sometimes there’s two different lemonade stands competing for customers on opposite street corners. There’ve been many a tear shed in the name of lemonade stand drama.”

They continue chatting casually until their food comes when the conversation turns mostly toward Stiles moaning distractingly around his food.

“This is amazing,” Stiles raves when he’s finished his tacos. “How have I never come to this place before? I’m going to need to add their tacos to my list of things to kill for.”

“We’ll have to come back sometime,” Derek suggests in a totally subtle way.

“That’d be nice,” Stiles agrees, smiling slyly.

In the elevator on the way up to their respective offices, Derek asks him out for a real date that Saturday. Stiles says yes.

*

“Derek! Open up!” he hears his two sisters yell from outside his apartment door.

“What do you want?” he growls when he swings the door open. Instead of answering, the two of them push past him so he can’t shut the door in their faces.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” Cora asks skeptically, gesturing to his outfit.

He looks down at his trousers, shirt, and tie before frowning and giving his sisters a confused look.

“Just wondering, because that tie is disgusting,” Cora adds casually.

“It is not,” Derek defends.

“It’s pretty terrible,” Laura counters. “Come on, Der. Give it up and let us help you get ready for your date.”

“You know, I’ve gone on plenty of dates before without needing my sisters to help me get dressed. I think I can handle it.”

“You know you’re not going to win this argument,” Cora tells him, folding her arms and raising a brow at him.

He sighs in defeat. Winning an argument against the tag team of Laura and Cora is pretty much impossible. So he relents, and a half an hour later, they’ve put him in black slacks and a white shirt with thin blue stripes with a solid dark tie. They’ve also spent about fifteen minutes trying to perfect his hair and he is feeling thoroughly done with being poked and prodded.

“If I don’t leave in the next two minutes I’m going to be late,” he points out, slapping away one of Laura’s hands from trying to flatten down a tuft of hair.

“Fine. You do look pretty good. Might even get laid. _You’re welcome_.”

“Laura, do me a favor and never comment on my sex life again,” he complains and he leads them all out of the apartment, locking the door behind them.

He and Stiles had decided to meet at the restaurant (a nice Italian one, because everyone loves Italian food) so he drives there quickly and although he hadn’t even really realized he’d been nervous, he’s relieved when the hostess confirms that they got his reservation and have a table ready for him. He sits down and tries not to fiddle too much with the ends of his sleeves while he waits for Stiles. Thankfully, he doesn’t have to wait too long.

“Hi,” Stiles says nervously as he approaches the table. There’s a flush to his cheeks and Derek cannot help it – he stands up and greets him with a kiss to the cheek and a bright smile before gesturing for him to sit down.

He looks gorgeous – not that Derek is surprised – in a pair of obscenely form-fitting gray slacks and a navy blue button down open at the collars and rolled up to show off his forearms. He’s not wearing his glasses and Derek can see his eyes sparkling. He’s pretty sure he drools a little bit.

“You look nice,” Derek tells him after they order a bottle of wine, just to see if he can get Stiles blushing again. It works.

“Thanks,” he says, a pleased smile on his face. “You, as well.”

“Don’t tell my sisters that – they’ll never let me live it down that they were right.”

Stiles grins teasingly. “Had to have your sisters help you out, huh?”

“Apparently 50% of the clothing I own is actually offensive to society,” Derek deadpans.

“Your sisters sound like my friend Lydia. She made me show her my outfit for approval,” Stiles admits, wrinkling his nose a bit.

“Tell your friend Lydia thank you for me.”

Stiles snorts and flushes red, hiding his face in his hands as he laughs. Derek laughs, too, and they spend the rest of dinner conversing easily about anything and everything. Their baseball teams, the college they went to, embarrassing childhood stories. It’s nice to have such easy conversation with someone, but even with it feeling so simple, Derek knows his feelings for Stiles are anything but. It’s been a long time since he’s been so wrapped up in someone else – a long time since he’s actually wanted to put effort into a relationship. But with Stiles it just makes sense.

At the end of the evening, he walks Stiles to his car (a beat up old blue Jeep that Stiles claims has more character than any other car could possibly hope to have). Stiles unlocks it, but doesn’t get in, instead leaning against the door and looking up at Derek shyly. It’s a clear invitation and Derek doesn’t hesitate to bring his hand up to cup Stiles’ jaw before gently bringing their lips together.

A noise escapes Stiles throat at the contact and he wraps his arms around Derek’s neck, bringing him closer and licking at the seam of his lips. Derek opens up for him and soon their tongues are tangling together while their hands wander down each other’s sides and tangle in their hair. Derek presses himself even closer, until he can feel Stiles hardening against his thigh and knows Stiles can feel him, too.

Stiles pulls away from the kiss after god knows how long and whispers, “I have to go. I wish I didn’t, but I do.”

Derek nods and kisses him one last time before giving him a quiet goodnight and a pleased smirk and heading to his own car. He looks back once to catch a glimpse of Stiles still leaning against the Jeep, illuminated by a streetlight and looking thoroughly mussed. Derek can’t help but feel pretty smug.

*

Over the next week, they get lunch twice, go for after work drinks once, and sneak more than a few heated kisses in the elevator but they don’t make definitive plans for the weekend. Luckily, Isaac calls him Saturday morning and asks if he wants to go to Danny and Stiles’ lacrosse game.

“You’re going to their lacrosse game?” Derek asks, confused.

“Yeah. You know I’m dating Danny, right? I went last week, too.”

“I don’t know…” Derek hesitates. “Stiles didn’t invite me.”

He tries not to think about why Stiles wouldn’t invite him when it is apparently a bring-the-person-you’re-dating kind of event.

“Derek, believe me when I say that you should really, _really_ come to the lacrosse game,” Isaac insists.

“Why do I get the feeling that you know something that I don’t?”

“I’ll pick you up at one,” Isaac says instead of answering, then hangs up before Derek can respond.

Derek shrugs off the weirdness of their phone conversation as they make their way to the park the lacrosse game is being held in. Isaac had probably just been talking about how hot they looked in their gear or something – and who is Derek to deny the attractiveness that is sure to be Stiles doing physical activity?

Isaac brought bag chairs that they set up along the sidelines and they manage to catch the eyes of Danny and Stiles right before the game starts. Danny smiles and waves happily but Stiles just looks shocked to see Derek there. He gives a curt nod before pulling his helmet on and Derek frowns, ignoring the look Isaac is giving him.

He doesn’t pay much attention to the game. He’s confused and distracted by Stiles’ reaction to seeing him and contemplates no less than a million times getting up and leaving before remembering that Isaac drove him. In his distraction, he doesn’t notice until the game is almost over the Flynn is there, hooked up to a leash and being held by a little girl who’s sitting next to a redheaded women and a brunette woman. He has no idea who any of them are and his traitorous mind is telling him that the one of them could be someone important to Stiles – like a girlfriend.

But if Stiles has a girlfriend, then why would Danny have gotten Stiles to go out with them that first night? And Stiles surely isn’t the type to cheat on a significant other. They’re probably just friends and the little girl is probably one of their daughters.

Derek sighs, frustrated with himself, and waits impatiently for the game to end while Isaac sits next to him cheering loudly every time Danny stops a goal from going in the net. It’s only when, in the last few seconds of the game, Stiles scores a game winning goal and the little girl shrieks, “Go, Daddy!” that his heart really begins to race.

He ignores Isaac’s calls and heads over to where Stiles is – standing with the redhead and fuck – his probably daughter. Stiles has the little girl lifted into his arms when he approaches and Stiles smiles at him warily.

“Hi Derek,” he says and Derek doesn’t miss the look the redhead shoots Stiles at his name.

“Hi,” he replies dully.

“Did you see my daddy’s goal?” the little girl asks him excitedly.

“I… yes, I did.”

“Derek, this is my friend Lydia,” he says, gesturing to the redhead and Derek remembers him talking about her. “And this is my daughter. Heather.”

“I’m going to say hi to Scott and Allison,” Lydia says, clearly wanting to give them a moment. “Why don’t you come with me, sweetie?” she continues, grabbing Heather from Stiles’ arms and tugging Flynn along with her.

“So,” Stiles begins, clearing his throat awkwardly. “I… uh. I have a four year old daughter. And I know that I owe you a huge explanation and if you’re willing to hear me out, I… just, could we get coffee or something? It’s a long story and I don’t want to get into it here.”

Derek nods dumbly. “Sure.”

“Great – just… give me a minute,” he says and scrambles off toward where Lydia and Heather are standing with some other people.

“You okay?” Isaac asks, coming up from behind him.

Derek shrugs. “I guess I know why you were so adamant about me coming today.”

Isaac winces. “I’m sorry I didn’t just tell you but Stiles made me promise not to. Wanted to tell you on his own – but I thought you should know. I probably should’ve let him tell you before just letting it get thrown in your face.”

“Probably wouldn’t have made a difference, so don’t feel bad. We’re going to get coffee and talk.”

“Good. That’s good. Call me later and tell me how it goes, okay?” he asks before squeezing Derek’s shoulder and going back to join Danny in talking to some of the other players.

Stiles comes back over a few minutes later, looking nervous and like he’s walking on eggshells. “Sorry about that – I just had to see if my friends Scott and Allison could watch Heather for a few hours.”

Derek notices that Stiles has also changed out of his gear and into loose basketball shorts and a t-shirt, but is still kind of sweaty from the game. He follows Stiles to the Jeep and climbs in, trying not to think about how he could still practically feel the kiss they shared against it on his lips.

“Does—“ he cuts himself off, gesturing to the booster seat in the back.

“Oh, um, no. Scott and Allison have one in their car – they have a son, but he’s at a birthday party.”

The rest of the drive to the nearest Starbucks is silent. They order their coffee quickly and take a seat at a table in the corner. It’s silent for a few minutes before Stiles finally speaks.

“I know I should have told you that I have a daughter right off the bat but I just…” he blows out a frustrated breath.

“Is Lydia…” Derek trails off, staring down at his still too hot coffee.

Stiles shakes his head, gathering his meaning even without Derek saying the words. “Lydia’s not her mom. Heather’s adopted. I’m a single parent, but… I wasn’t supposed to be.” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I’d been with the same guy since I was 18 – Luke. And when we graduated college, we started thinking about kids. We agreed to adopt and it came through a couple years later. Heather’s biological mom was 16 and understandably not ready to have kids yet. I was beyond excited and I thought Luke was, too. But he came home from work one day and told me he didn’t love me anymore. That he was leaving.”

“Oh, god. Stiles,” Derek chokes out, reaching out to grasp Stiles’ hand in his own. He’s still mad but… no one should have to go through what Stiles did.

“So he left,” Stiles continues on. “And it was awful… but then I had Heather and nothing could make me happier. Certainly not Luke.”

“I’m so sorry,” Derek tells him, squeezing his hand.

“Don’t be,” Stiles replies, sounding sincere. “I’m not still upset or bitter. I’m glad he’s not in my life anymore and I’m not angry at him for leaving. It was probably the best thing for everyone involved.”

“You seem upset,” Derek disagrees quietly.

He smiles sadly. “Not about that. I care about you. A lot. And I regret not being upfront with you. I hope that you can forgive me someday.”

“I think… just give me a little while,” Derek says. “To process this. But I think… I think we’ll be okay.”

The blindingly bright smile Stiles gives him makes his heart skip.

*

He spends the rest of the weekend thinking things through. He’s talked to Isaac, Erica, and his sisters about it and it all comes down to one thing: he’s falling in love with Stiles. He doesn’t want to give that up, not when he finally has a chance at happiness. And he understands why Stiles didn’t tell him, although that doesn’t mean he doesn’t spend a good portion of Saturday night angrily eating a pint of Haagen-Dazs. Still, he gets it.

Monday is Labor Day, and therefore a perfect day off work to be outside, so he calls Stiles and invites him, Heather, and even Flynn out for a day at the park. He can tell Stiles is kind of surprised to be hearing from him – especially so soon, but Stiles readily agrees to meet him at a park that Derek knows has a big playground that Heather will surely find enjoyable.

Sure enough, when they get there, Heather says a quick hello to Derek and runs off toward the biggest slide the playground has to offer, leaving Stiles and Derek to watch Flynn.

“Thanks for inviting us out,” Stiles tells him once they’ve settled onto a bench with a good view of where Heather’s playing. Flynn’s flopped down by their feet, head on his paws and watching a fly buzz around the air in front of him. “I thought you’d be mad – need more time.”

Derek smiles. “I was a little mad, but I decided being mad wasn’t as important as being with you. That’s… if you’d like to be with me.”

Stiles kisses him soundly on the lips, which is as good an answer as any, really. The kiss only lasts a few seconds before they jump apart at the sound of Heather pretending to gag from where she’s standing in front of them. Derek laughs.

“I’d scold her, but she learned it from me being around her Uncle Scott and Auntie Allison,” Stiles explains jokingly.

“Uncle Scott and Auntie Allison kiss _all_ the time!” Heather complains, shaking her light brown pigtails and cringing. “It’s gross.”

“But Flynn gives you kisses all the time, is that gross?” Stiles asks her teasingly.

“Yeah, but he’s a dog so it’s okay,” she reasons and then puts her hands on her hips and stares at Derek. “Will you come push me on the swing? Dad doesn’t push me high enough.”

Derek grins and follows her to the swings, sending a wink towards Stiles. Aside from Cora and his little cousins, Derek hasn’t actually spent a lot of time around children. None of his close friends have any and Laura is only starting to warm up to the idea of having them with her husband. But listening to Heather squeal and giggle as he pushes her on the swing is enough to realize why people fall so easily in love with kids.

After Heather’s gotten her fill of the playground, Stiles buys them all ice cream cones from a cart and they walk around, occasionally stopping to let Flynn chase a butterfly around. When she’s finished with her ice cream, Heather sticks her arms up at Stiles until he lifts her up, handing the leash over to Derek and letting his daughter settle against his chest. A few minutes later she’s asleep; breathing into Stiles’ neck.

It kind of hits Derek right then that Stiles is a _father_ , not just the guy he’s dating who has a kid, but a man whose daughter means everything to him. He realizes that even when he didn’t know Stiles had a daughter that there’d been signs – like leaving the bar after getting a phone call and Danny’s subsequent understanding look or maybe even when he’d told Derek that he couldn’t go out. His heart constricts in his chest seeing Stiles smile contentedly as Heather continues to doze and cling to him.

“I should get her home,” Stiles says quietly, breaking Derek from his thoughts. “Clearly it’s naptime.”

Derek nods. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

They walk in silence, not wanting to wake up Heather. When they get to the Jeep, Stiles carefully puts Heather in her booster seat, succeeding in not waking her up. Flynn settles into the passenger seat, looking ready for a nap himself.

“Thank you for today,” Stiles tells him, leaning back against his car just like he did after their first date, but instead of waiting for Derek to kiss him, he pulls Derek to him, slotting their mouths together and kissing him deeply. His fingers tangle in Derek’s hair and Derek responds by licking into his mouth, hearing Stiles moan.

Derek pulls away eventually, keeping their foreheads together and panting into the air between them.

“You’re gonna be the death of me,” he whispers and Stiles grins.

“See you later, Hale,” he says with a wink before climbing into his car. He’s about to put the car into gear when Derek gets close to the open window and tugs him in for a chaste kiss.

“Now you can go,” he says when he takes a few steps back, watching happily as Stiles flushes and fumbles with the gearshift for a moment before taking off.

*

“Are you sure you’re ready for all of this, though? I mean, it’s a big deal – a lot bigger deal than just dating someone,” Cora says reasonably when Derek’s having dinner with her and Laura at some tapas place Cora apparently loves.

“A kid is kind of a huge deal,” Laura agrees. “You can’t just jump into a relationship with someone who has a kid. What if it doesn’t work out, but she gets attached to you? There’s a lot to think about.”

“Trust me,” Derek starts, voice defensive, “I’ve done nothing but think about it. Heather complicates things, I know that, but how will I know if I’m ready to be a part of their lives if I don’t try? I _want_ to try and him having a family doesn’t change that, it just means that I have to want to be a part of his family, not just his boyfriend. I know it’s a big deal but I’m pretty much in love with Stiles, so—“

“Woah, woah, woah. Hold up, big brother. You’re _in love_ with him?”

Derek blushes – he really hadn’t meant to blurt that out. “I, um, well… yeah? I think so. Or I’m getting there, anyway.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit soon? Laura, don’t you think it’s kind of soon for Derek to be in love with this guy?” Cora asks.

Laura smiles. “You forget that Jeff and I got engaged after four months of dating. Falling in love doesn’t happen on some universal schedule. I knew I loved Jeff almost right away.”

“Yeah, yeah. You and your epic love story,” Cora dismisses but clearly doesn’t mean it.

“Maybe this is Derek’s epic love story,” Laura says, smiling at Derek and squeezing his hand.

“Maybe,” Derek echoes, cheeks red.

*

Stiles calls him on Wednesday night while he’s catching up on his DVR. He pauses the show instantly when he sees the name flashing on his phone and answers quickly.

“Hey,” he greets.

“Derek, hi. I’m not interrupting dinner or anything am I?”

“Nope, just watching some TV. What’s up?”

“Well, as it happens, there was something Heather wanted to ask you on Monday but forgot on account of falling asleep.” There’s a pause in which Derek can hear Heather yelling something in the background and Stiles laughing in response. “Yes, Daddy forgot about it, too.”

“Daddy, give me the phone!” he can hear Heather demand.

“Hold on a second, Derek,” Stiles says and a moment later Heather is chirping a hello into his ear.

“Hi, Heather. What’s going on?”

“Will you come to my birthday party on Saturday? I’m turning five, which is a _really big deal_ ,” she emphasizes.

Derek laughs. “I would love to come to your birthday party.”

She squeals delightedly. “It’s at our house, which is by the park. You have to promise to come, okay?”

“I promise I’ll be there. Now why don’t you put your daddy back on the phone?”

“You just made her day,” Stiles says when he gets the phone back. “And I’m guessing you’ll need some directions a little bit more specific then Heather’s so I’ll text you the address later. And it’s at one on Saturday. We don’t have a lacrosse game this week and Heather wants to play outside while it’s still warm, so hopefully it doesn’t rain.”

“I’m sure it won’t. What does she want for her birthday?”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to get her a present. Really. She’s going to be getting about a million of them anyway. And that’s just from Lydia.”

“I want to,” Derek insists. “What does she like?”

Stiles hesitates for a moment. “If you’re sure,” he relents. “She really likes dogs, princesses, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

“She has good taste,” Derek comments, earning a laugh from Stiles.

They chat for a few more minutes before promising to get lunch together at work the next day and hanging up. Derek goes to sleep that night with a smile on his face.

*

The day of the birthday party, Derek carefully wraps his present for Heather in the puppy adorned wrapping paper he’d bought and then proceeds to absolutely not spend thirty minutes deciding on an appropriately casual outfit to wear. He ends up in a green henley and jeans – which should have only taken about thirty seconds to choose.

When he gets to the party, there’s already a ton of kids running around the backyard playing games and a group of adults standing on the deck chatting. He spots Stiles hovering over the grill, flipping burgers and heads over to him, tapping his shoulder.

“Oh, hey! You’re here,” Stiles exclaims, kissing the corner of his mouth quickly and grinning.

“Hi,” Derek returns and then gestures to the present he’s carrying. “Where should I put this?”

“I’ve got a pile going in the house; let me show you,” he says and grabs Derek by the hand, leading him into the house.

Just as Stiles had predicted on the phone, there’s a massive pile of presents stacked up on the floor.

“I know,” Stiles sighs, catching Derek’s look. “How am I ever going to keep her from being spoiled?”

Stiles grabs the present from Derek’s hands and leans down to set it on the pile. When he straightens back up, Derek tugs him by the waist until they’re pressed up close, sealing their lips together and kissing him the way he’s been thinking about all day. Stiles moans into his mouth and slips his hand under Derek’s henley.

“You should probably get back to the burgers,” Derek whispers against his lips, laughing when Stiles jumps away and pulls him quickly back onto the deck.

“You are unfairly distracting, Hale. Especially in those jeans,” Stiles says once he’s back to tending the grill.

“I aim to please,” Derek quips.

“Hello again, Derek,” Lydia says, walking up to him and Stiles with a blonde man Derek thinks he recognizes from the lacrosse game in tow. “This is my boyfriend, Jackson.”

They shake hands while Lydia starts asking him about his job as an accountant – apparently she’s some sort of math genius. Which Derek is not, and most of what she’s talking about goes straight over his head (accounting and whatever type of crazy complex calculus she’s an expert on do not have a whole lot in common) but it’s nice to be talking to Stiles’ friends and getting to know them. The subject does eventually shift to something a bit easier once people start crowding around to get the cooked burgers and Stiles says he refuses to listen to any more math talk.

It takes some convincing to get some of the kids to eat their lunch, but things eventually settle down for a little bit while everyone eats. Heather insists on sitting on Stiles’ lap next to Derek at one of the fold-up tables stationed in the yard. She’s wearing a pink tutu and a Spider-Man shirt and doesn’t seem concerned at all that the nice French braid Lydia did in her hair is half fallen out.

“Did you bring me a present?” she asks Derek through a mouthful of burger.

“That’s a rude question, Heather,” Stiles tells her. “And don’t talk with your mouth full, you know that.”

“Sorry, Dad. Sorry, Derek,” she says dutifully.

“That’s alright,” Derek tells her. “We all make mistakes sometimes. You know a few weeks ago, my older sister had to yell at me for talking with my mouth full, too.”

Heather giggles. “Really?”

“Yep. And I did bring you a present,” he stage whispers at her, winking conspiratorially.

Her amber eyes go wide. “Can I open it?”

“Not until your daddy says so.”

“That’s right,” Stiles says. “Daddy controls all the presents!” he exclaims and then starts tickling Heather’s sides until she’s a giggling mess. “Hey, Heather,” Stiles says after stopping his tickle attack. “Look who’s here.” He points to an older man walking toward the table.

She shrieks and hops off Stiles’ lap, running toward the man and yelling, “Grandpa!”

“Your dad?” Derek prompts, watching as the man lifts Heather in the air and delivers a big kiss to her cheek while she laughs.

“Yeah,” Stiles says, smiling fondly at the scene. “Sorry if it’s a bit soon, you know, for you to meet him.”

“It’s fine,” Derek assures him, giving his hand a quick squeeze and smirking when Stiles doesn’t let go, but instead leads him over to where Heather is babbling excitedly to her grandpa.

“Grandpa, do you know Derek?” Heather asks when they approach. “Aunt Lydia says he’s Daddy’s boyfriend.”

“Is that right?”

Stiles rolls his eyes. “Dad, this is Derek. Derek, this is my old man.”

“Watch it, kid,” he warns. “John Stilinski, nice to meet you,” he says to Derek, shaking his hand.

“Derek Hale, and likewise. Stiles has told me quite a bit about you.”

“Yeah? Well, I bet he hasn’t told you any of the good stories from when he was little. Stiles, go get me a burger while I tell Derek some fun stories.”

“This was a terrible idea,” Stiles mumbles but heads off toward the food anyway while Derek and John sit down.

“Now, when Stiles was little,” John begins, “he _really_ hated bath time. It was borderline impossible to get that kid clean. So he was always trying to escape. He never got too far, but one time right in the middle of his bath, I realized I’d forgotten to get his bath toys and he was threatening a temper tantrum so I start rifling through the bathroom closet looking for the toy bin and the little shit jumps right out of the bath and starts running. The bathroom was on the first floor of our house and by the time I caught him, he was in the front yard, naked and covered in soap, yelling at our neighbor Mrs. Williams to come save him from the evil bath monsters.”

Stiles get back to the table just as Derek bursts into laughter, shaking with it.

“Oh god,” Stiles groans, putting the plate in front of his dad. “What story was it?”

“Bath time,” his dad replies with an evil smirk before taking a bite out of his burger, a distasteful look immediately overcoming his face. “The hell is this?”

“A turkey burger,” Stiles explains, feeling a bit vindictive.

“Jesus, son. I can’t even have a burger at my granddaughter’s fifth birthday party?”

“Not when you were recently hospitalized for chest pain.”

John scowls. “Could’ve at least put bacon on it,” he mutters, reluctantly taking another bite.

The afternoon continues on in much the same manner. Derek meets and talks to a lot of Stiles’ friends – including officially meeting Scott and Allison and Scott’s mom Melissa, who had arrived with John (apparently the two are dating). Eventually there’s cake and then Heather insists on presents until Stiles relents and they bring all the presents out to the yard for her to tear into – which she does, with much fervor and enthusiasm and very little grace.

Derek feels pretty smug when he gets an excited shriek and a hug for the Ninja Turtle toy he got her.

The party winds down as evening rolls in – most of the parents taking their kids home after the sugar from the cake wears off. Even the birthday girl’s eyes are getting droopy and once it’s just close friends and family left, Stiles wrangles her into the new Tiana pajamas Lydia got her and puts her down for a nap in her room.

“Thanks for coming today,” Stiles says as he walks Derek to his car.

“It was fun,” Derek replies. “I think Heather got enough toys to keep her occupied until the next one.”

“You’d think so, but I bet you anything she’ll be begging for new toys by next month. The Ninja Turtle toy’s definitely going to keep her occupied for a while, though. She really likes it. It’s already got a place in her room.”

“Glad I could contribute to the spoiling of your daughter,” Derek says jokingly before tugging Stiles close for a kiss.

They kiss easily – just lips moving against each other quietly as their hands tangle between their bodies.

“I’ll see you Monday?” Stiles asks breathlessly when they pull apart.

“Of course,” Derek replies and Stiles brings their lips back together for a few minutes before pushing Derek gently down into the seat of his open car door.

“Now get out of here before I have to crawl into that ridiculously tiny backseat and ravish you,” Stiles demands, voice teasing.

“Is that supposed to be discouraging?” Derek calls out as Stiles walks back up to the house. All he gets is a wink in response.

*

Heather has a gymnastics showcase that week that Derek tags along to with Stiles. It’s just something the company puts on for the parents but Heather tumbles around the floor doing somersaults and wobbles across the beam like she’s Gabby Douglas at the Olympics. He and Stiles clap enthusiastically every time she finishes a routine and she blushes and curtsies, blowing them kisses. She’s probably the most energetic kid in the whole place; dancing around even when it’s not her turn to perform and hamming it up for the crowd when it is.

She gets a little blue ribbon for her efforts and Derek takes them out to dinner to celebrate. Heather recounts every detail of the showcase excitedly all through dinner, even attempting to get on the restaurant floor to show them her cartwheel again before Stiles stops her. She giggles mischievously when Stiles manages to get her to sit back down and she continues to tell them all about how she can jump higher on the trampoline than anyone else in her class.

“Just what a dad wants to hear,” Stiles grumbles and Derek laughs.

“I bet I can jump higher on it than either of you,” she proclaims. “Because I’m the best. Right, Derek?”

“Definitely,” he replies, chuckling when she beams and sits up straight before stealing one of her dad’s curly fries and popping it in her mouth.

*

Stiles and Derek make plans for a Friday night to spend time at Stiles’ house, so Derek picks up a pizza on the way over and grins when Stiles opens the door.

“Brought food,” he announces, walking in and heading to the kitchen to set the pizza down on the counter. “Where’s Heather?”

“Not here,” Stiles answers vaguely, coming up behind Derek and wrapping his arms around his middle, his chin resting on Derek’s shoulder.

“Where is she?” Derek asks.

Stiles hand slips under the front of his shirt, resting on his stomach. “She’s spending the night at Scott and Allison’s,” he replies casually.

Derek practically chokes. “The – the whole night?”

“The whole night,” Stiles whispers in his ear before nipping at his earlobe.

“Fuck,” Derek breathes, turning around in Stiles’ arms and slamming their mouths together.

The kiss is heated and desperate; tongues clashing and teeth clacking and noses bumping but Derek couldn’t care less as he scrambles to pull off Stiles’ t-shirt, his own following in quick succession.

“Upstairs,” Stiles groans as Derek’s hands squeeze his ass.

They practically run up to Stiles’ bedroom, Derek throwing him down onto the bed as soon as they get there and draping himself over Stiles’ body, slotted between his thighs.

“You’re so gorgeous,” Derek pants as he fumbles to undo Stiles’ jeans, pulling them down only to see his cock spring up in the absence of underwear. “Fuck, Stiles.”

“That’s the idea,” Stiles laughs, wiggling out of his jeans entirely before flipping them over so he’s hovering over Derek. “But first, I’m going to blow you because if I don’t get my mouth on you tonight I might have to kill someone.”

“Oh, Jesus,” Derek moans when Stiles gets his pants off and finally -- _finally_ \-- seals his mouth around the head of Derek’s dick.

Stiles licks and sucks around him almost greedily, absolutely filthy slurping noises escaping as he bobs up and down. When the head of Derek’s cock nudges the back of Stiles’ throat, he moans and reluctantly pulls Stiles back up his body.

“This is going to be over way too soon if you keep that up,” he comments, breathing heavy.

Stiles smirks and reaches into his nightstand drawer, pulling out lube and a condom. Derek watches, mesmerized, as Stiles tears the condom open with his teeth and rolls it down over Derek’s dick before slicking it up with lube. He moves to sink himself down onto Derek before Derek holds out a hand to stop him.

“I need to prep you,” he says, amazed that he’s thinking at all clearly.

Stiles just keeps smirking and leans down to whisper in his ear, “I fingered myself before you got here.”

Derek barely has time to contemplate his words before his cock’s being engulfed in the tight heat that is Stiles. Stiles rolls his hips over him before starting to lift himself up and down in a steady rhythm. Derek thrusts up in time with him, gripping Stiles’ ass in his hands. The moans spilling from Stiles’ mouth drive Derek to absolute insanity and he rolls them over, positioning them so Stiles’ legs are braced on his elbows and he can fuck into Stiles deeply with every thrust.

“Oh, fuck, Derek,” Stiles cries out, moving a hand down to work his own leaking cock over.

“So close,” Derek pants out, his thrusts losing their rhythm but still hitting that sweet spot inside of Stiles with every move.

Stiles leans up to mash their mouths together, kissing him filthily and sloppily as they continue to rock into each other. It’s not too long before Stiles is tilting his head back and crying out; his come spilling between them. Derek only manages a half dozen more thrusts before he’s coming, too, Stiles’ name slipping from his lips in a litany of exclamations.

Derek flops down on top of Stiles, trying to keep most of his weight off of him as they pant and try to catch their breath.

“Holy fuck,” Stiles manages after a few minutes.

Derek grunts in agreement before carefully slipping out of Stiles and tying the condom off before tossing it into the trashcan near the bed. He lowers himself onto the bed next to Stiles; their bodies lined up all the way down to their toes.

Stiles gets out of bed and returns a few minutes later with a wet washcloth and the pizza Derek had completely forgotten about. Stiles cleans them both up methodically before tossing the washcloth on the floor and grabbing a slice of the cold pizza.

“Gotta refuel for round two,” he explains. Derek laughs delightedly and brings Stiles in for a pepperoni flavored kiss.

*

Three Years Later

“PAPA!” Heather screeches from the bottom of the stairs. “DADDY! I’m gonna be late to school if you don’t get your butts down here!”

“Don’t say butt!” Derek calls down the stairs, rolling his eyes when Stiles laughs at him as he’s fixing his tie in the mirror.

“I didn’t!” she yells. “I said _butts_! It’s plural and totally different!”

“She learns that smart ass stuff from you,” Derek tells Stiles, handing Stiles his glasses from their bedside table.

“Her daddy is pretty smart,” Stiles agrees cheekily, pecking Derek on the lips before they head downstairs together to find Heather already with her Ninja Turtle backpack on and hands on her hips.

“Are you ready for your first day of second grade?” Derek asks, ruffling her hair and laughing when she scowls.

“I’ve been ready for second grade for the past fifteen minutes, you slow-pokes,” she complains, flattening down her hair from where Derek mussed it up.

“Then we better get going,” Stiles says, grabbing the keys to the family-friendly Toyota they’d recently acquired. They have to take Flynn to Scott’s pet daycare center so Derek grabs the leash and wrangles him into the backseat while Stiles makes sure Heather has all her school stuff.

They drop Heather off at her elementary school ten minutes later – they don’t go in with her because they’d ‘already met the teacher at the open house and I’m in second grade now I don’t need my dads to come with me’. Heather certainly has a mind of her own. Flynn gets dropped off next and eventually they make it to the office, where they steal a few quick kisses in the elevator before Stiles has to get off on his floor.

“Love you,” he says, pressing one last kiss to Derek’s lips before leaving him to travel the last couple floors by himself.

His life now is nothing like he ever imagined it could be. Nothing he ever thought it would be. But he’s also happier than he thought possible and when he thinks about the alternative – not having Stiles or Heather or Flynn, it’s like thinking about what life would be like without air. Even when Stiles leaves his wet towels on the floor or Heather throws a fit because she wants to go to Disneyland (again) or Flynn chews up his nice work shoes. It’s family – his own little family.

When Stiles texts him an hour later telling him not to forget they have to go over wedding stuff at lunch, Derek smiles to himself and thinks he’s pretty fucking lucky to have gotten the family he did.


	2. Bonus Halloween Chapter

“So you’re cool with coming trick-or-treating with us, right?” Stiles asks Derek one night as they’re curled together on Derek’s couch watching Netflix. Heather is at Scott and Allison’s again – apparently they owed Stiles about a million overnight babysitting gigs for all the times they’d had him watch their son, Caleb. “It’ll be tons of fun – promise!”

Derek laughs when Stiles tickles him lightly in the ribs. “Yeah, I’ll come. Sounds fun,” he agrees easily before planting a kiss on Stiles’ lips. It’s pretty much the opposite of difficult to convince him to spend time with Stiles and Heather. Stiles leans up to kiss him again, parting his lips and shifting so he’s in Derek’s lap, straddling him.

Skin burning, Derek grabs Stiles’ ass and hitches him forward until their quickly hardening cocks are pushed together, nothing but clothes separating them. They don’t rush – they just continue to kiss and let their hands wander. Stiles’ head tips back obscenely when Derek mouths at his throat, sucking on his pulse point and nipping the skin gently with his teeth until Stiles is shaking and gripping Derek’s hair tight enough that it might hurt in any other situation.

Eventually Derek gets impatient and yanks his own shirt off before doing away with Stiles’. He’s about to work on pulling down Stiles’ sweatpants when Stiles latches his mouth onto one of Derek’s nipples and teasing the other one with his fingers.

“Unngh,” Derek groans, arching his back as Stiles continues his ministrations. He can’t even be embarrassed when Stiles pulls away with a smug smirk, rolling his hips into Derek’s just to hear him groan again.

Stiles stands up to take his pants off before leaning down to pull Derek’s down his legs, letting them pool at his feet. He’s about to resume his position straddling Derek but he’s looking at Stiles’ flushed cock and he just -- _needs_ to get his mouth on it so he grabs him by the waist and pushes him onto the couch, spreading his knees apart so he can swallow him down to the root.

“Oh, _fuck_ ,” Stiles whines desperately, hands searching for purchase in Derek’s hair for a few minutes before letting go. “You gotta – you gotta get up here so you can fuck me. Seriously. Need your dick in my ass like, yesterday,” Stiles begs.

“You did have my dick in your ass yesterday,” Derek points out cheekily after pulling off with an obscene noise.

“Yeah, well, go get the lube and do it again,” Stiles demands and Derek can tell how far gone he is by how he can’t even think of a witty comeback.

“As you wish,” Derek agrees, trying to sound suave but he basically runs to his bedroom to get the lube and a condom and runs back, almost tripping over his own feet when he sees Stiles bent over the arm of the couch, looking at him expectantly.

“What’re you waiting for?”

Derek chokes and stumbles forward, hastily slicking up his fingers with lube and gently probing Stiles with one finger, working him open a bit before adding another. He strokes against Stiles’ prostate, reveling in the resulting moan and kisses the back of Stiles’ neck.

“Another, Derek,” he gasps out and Derek complies, working another finger in and almost shaking when Stiles begins to rock back against his hand; hungry for it.

“You ready?” Derek whispers against his ear when Stiles’ hole begins to feel more open – his fingers meeting less resistance.

Stiles nod frantically, breath coming in heavy pants as Derek rolls the condom on and slicks himself up before gently pushing in, using his hands to spread Stiles’ cheeks as he does. He almost comes just from the feeling he gets when he’s fully seated inside of Stiles’ tight heat.

“Move,” Stiles commands pleadingly and Derek can see his legs shaking. He realizes his own are shaking, too.

He pulls out almost all the way before thrusting back in and the angle must do something amazing for Stiles because he cries out, leaning further over the arm of the couch and begging Derek to fuck him. Derek slams his hips into Stiles over and over; the heat and friction almost too much and yet not nearly enough. He leans over to plaster himself against Stiles’ back, reaching a hand around to grasp his leaking dick and stroke it in time with his thrusts.

“Harder,” Stiles begs and Derek snaps his hips relentlessly and thumbs at the head of Stiles’ dick until Stiles is almost screaming out his release, splattering hotly on Derek’s hand. It’s not even five thrusts later that Derek is burying himself into Stiles and coming, moans escaping his mouth continuously as his orgasm shakes through him.

“Holy _shit_ ,” Stiles comments, sounding almost amazed, after they’ve caught their breath a bit and Derek’s pulled out of him.

“Yeah,” Derek replies, still dazed.

*

He’s basically forgotten about the trick-or-treating thing until Stiles comes up to his office on Halloween and reminds him of what time to be at the house and not to worry because he has Derek’s costume at home.

It isn’t until Stiles has already disappeared from his office that the words catch up to him, which is how he finds himself later that night standing in Stiles’ living room in a black Power Rangers costume while Heather runs around the living room jumping on the couches and armchairs in her pink Power Rangers costume. Stiles is in a red one and he’s been informed that Allison, Scott, and Caleb are on their way over in their matching outfits.

Sure enough, Caleb runs into the house two minutes later dressed as the blue Ranger, Scott and Allison trailing in after him dressed as the green and yellow Rangers, respectively.

Apparently, Halloween is a _big deal_ to the Stilinski-McCall clan.

“Dude, we look awesome!” Scott cheers, gesturing to all of their costumes.

“I look the best!” Heather claims.

“Yeah, well I’m the _coolest_ ,” Caleb counters, sticking his tongue out at Heather, who turns her nose up at him but otherwise doesn’t respond.

“I can’t wait until they get married,” Stiles jokes.

“Ew,” the kids chime as Derek and Scott laugh.

Allison rolls her eyes. “Come on, we gotta get going if we want to get you two lots of candy before it gets too dark.”

That’s more than enough motivation to get the kids moving and within a few minutes they’re out on the street, knocking on doors and getting candy deposited into their Jack-O-Lantern shaped candy buckets. Derek’s actually a bit amazed at how efficient they are. He remembers trick-or-treating being kind of a slow process, always having to chat with the people opening the door who liked to tell Derek and his sisters how cute they looked in their costumes. But Stiles and Scott have evidently taught their children to get in and get out in order to maximize their candy revenue.

He laughs when he pictures a young Stiles and Scott running around their childhood neighborhood on Halloween, hitting as many houses as possible and fighting over fun-sized candy. Knowing Stiles, he probably stole all the Reese’s from Scott.

They do get a lot of compliments for their group costume efforts from other parents and children trick-or-treating. Derek suppresses a fond chuckle when both Stiles and Scott get a look of pride on their faces every time someone comments on their costumes. Sometimes Derek wonders if he’s actually dating a five year old instead of someone who is a five year old’s father.

Eventually, it gets dark and although the kids make a valiant effort at arguing that they want to stay out later, it’s clear they’re getting tired. They start trekking back toward Stiles’ house and by the time they’re a couple blocks away, Heather reaches her arms out to Derek who obligingly lifts her up while Stiles grabs her candy bucket. She’s asleep within minutes and Scott asks Caleb if he wants to be carried, too, but Caleb keeps walking on the basis that he is way too old. They all kindly ignore that he’s basically dead on his feet.

When they finally get to the house, the McCalls leave immediately and Derek knows Caleb will be asleep in the car. He carries Heather inside and up to her room, Stiles following behind them. They help her into her pajamas, her eyes only opening about halfway. He catches Stiles looking at him with an unfathomable look and he feels himself flushing although he doesn’t know why.

Stiles manages to convince Heather to brush her teeth and eventually they get her tucked into bed – no bedtime story necessary as she falls back to sleep immediately. He and Stiles settle on the couch downstairs, cuddled up together with their feet propped on the coffee table and the TV playing some old horror flick quietly in the background.

“I’m glad you came,” Stiles whispers and it sounds like so much _more_ , like Stiles’ heart is bursting just as much as his is.

“Me too,” he replies quietly, not trusting his voice to be any louder.

He dozes off a few minutes later to the feeling of Stiles absently tracing patterns on his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had some extra Halloween-type inspiration and couldn't resist writing a bit more for this fic.
> 
> As always, find me on tumblr [here](http://anarrowofcarnations.tumblr.com/).

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr [here](http://anarrowofcarnations.tumblr.com/).
> 
> 10/22 - minor edits because grammar


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